Candyman appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As expected, the movie presented strong visuals.
Overall definition seemed good. A few interiors showed a smidgen of softness, but those elements remained modest, as the film usually appeared accurate and concise.
Jagged edges and moiré effects didn’t mar the presentation, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.
In terms of palette, Candyman went with a standard amber/orange and blue/teal orientation, though it occasionally tossed out other elements like some heavy reds. Within stylistic choices, the hues seemed well-depicted.
Blacks were dark and dense, and low-light shots gave us good clarity. I felt pleased with this transfer.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack tended toward a pretty standard horror soundscape, one that tended to favor atmosphere above all else. This meant a mix with a creepy vibe that added to the material.
Occasional action scenes brought more life to the soundfield, though, and those made the track engaging. Don’t expect these to crop up on a frequent basis, but they occurred often enough to give a boost to the mix and make it involving and impactful.
Audio quality worked fine, with speech that appeared natural and concise. Music came across as bold and dynamic as well.
Effects showed nice clarity and reproduction. Those elements felt accurate and bold, and they contributed deep low-end when necessary. All in all, the soundtrack worked well for the film.
As we shift to extras, we get an Alternate Ending. It runs two minutes, 38 seconds and finishes with a bit of a tease.
I can’t say much in the interest of spoiler avoidance, but I will note it seems unclear where the “Alternate Ending” would’ve come in the film. I can’t tell if it would’ve followed the actual conclusion or if it would’ve replaced the existing finale. Whatever the case, I think the movie’s present finish works well and the “Alternate” would’ve damaged its impact.
Deleted and Extended Scenes follow. We find “Who Do You Think Makes the Hood?” (2:56), “Wanna See Me Fly?” (1:44) and “Fooked Oop” (1:09).
“Hood” expands on Anthony’s chats with the art critic, whereas “Wanna” gives us a longer flashback between Brianna and her father. “Oop” extends the scenes with the high school girls. None of these seem valuable, so I can’t claim any needed to show up in the final film.
Seven featurettes ensue, and Say My Name goes for six minutes, 45 seconds and offers notes from writer/director Nia DaCosta, producers/writers Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld and actors Tony Todd, Teyonah Parris, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“Name” looks at themes and characters as well as reflections of society. We get some decent insights.
Body Horror spans six minutes, 22 seconds and involves Peele, DaCosta, Rosenfeld, Abdul-Mateen, Todd, producer Ian Cooper, movement consultant Madeline Hollander and special effects makeup department head J. Anthony Kosar.
“Horror” looks at the physical deterioration of the Anthony character and the makeup effects used to achieve this and other elements. We find a few useful notes.
Next comes The Filmmaker’s Eye, a four-minute, 48-second reel with DaCosta, Peele, Rosenfeld, Parris, Abdul-Matee, Cooper and production designer Cara Brower. We get a mix of reasonably interesting thoughts about DaCosta’s approach to the material here, though plenty of praise comes along for the ride.
Painting Chaos lasts seven minutes, 17 seconds and includes material from Abdul-Mateen, DaCosta, Cooper, Peele, Parris, Rosenfeld, art consultant Hamza Walker and artists Sherwin Ovid, Arnold Kemp and Cameron Spratley. As implied, we get thoughts about the artwork attributed to the Anthony character in this sporadically compelling reel.
With The Art of Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, we get a four-minute, 54-second piece that features DaCosta, and composer Lowe. The show offers some worthwhile notes about the movie’s score.
Terror in the Shadows fills four minutes, nine seconds with comments from DaCosta, Peele, Cooper, and line producer/lead puppeteer Julia Miller.
“Terror” covers the shadow puppet work featured in the film. It becomes another decent featurette.
Finally, The Impact of Black Horror occupies 20 minutes, 24 seconds with notes from UCLA Professor of Black Horror and Afrofuturism Tanana Rive Due, trauma psychotherapist Wendy Ashley, BEAM founder Yolo Akili Robinson, Confess Project founder Lorenzo Lewisand actor Colman Domingo.
All sit together for a panel that examines the movie’s themes as well as other aspects of the genre. It becomes a fairly insightful discussion.
The disc opens with ads for Old, The Forever Purge, Stillwater. No trailer for Candyman appears here.
Nearly 30 years after the original movie, the 2021 Candyman offers both a reboot and a sequel. The film finds clever ways to connect to the original while it also stands as a fairly creepy and memorable horror experience in its own right. The Blu-ray comes with very good picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus materials. Candyman turns into a mostly compelling horror tale.